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Websleuths News

Join Websleuths Radio for the final discussion of THE KILLING SEASON
with Josh Zemam, Rachel Mills and special guests including Bob Kolker author of Lost Girls

Wow, I haven't seen this case before, I wonder how many other missing people haven't made national missing persons lists. It sounds like the police didn't really do a good job of grilling those kids or they were good liars. I wonder if a cold case department could track them down and interview them now.

How sad! The poor family...to never have closure...to never know what happened to their son. A couple of things...I don't know how much stock I'd put in the media's report that one of the "acquaintances" called another before Joe was declared missing. Days can be confused and reporters can make errors in their reporting. What I'd like to know is if anyone else heard this story firsthand. Have these kids' statements ever been made public? One other thing...when was the car retrieved, and by who? Another thing...do we know what this argument was about? Why would Joe ever leave with these folks? Did anyone hear the car leave? So many questions. Why didn't this case get reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sooner? Had the family resigned itself to the fact that Joe was lost on that mountain? Where are the other two "kids" now (the third is in VT)?
This is just too sad. I spent many summers in the area. Just beautiful...but it's time for nature to give Joe back to his family.
G-d bless you, Joe.

We're trying to get someone to help us, to get something going in Joe's case (ie: politicians stepping in to help, DA, AG, other LE divisions). The investigators state that the three aren't suspects BUT they've FORBIDDEN the PI working with Joe's family from speaking to or contacting the three!

One is in VT, the other two are still in Ellenville. Police re-interviewed one of them, but not the other, nor have they re-interviewed the one in VT. One of the ones in Ellenville, along with several of his friends, continually harass Joe's family online. One statement was "We should get a memorial stone for Joe and I know exactly where we should put it."

That same person is the one who admitted to a witness that the whole story of the car getting stuck was just a cover story to hide the truth (one of the witnesses who was present when he said this came forward). When he said this, the other one who still lives in Ellenville was there as well.

Someone keeps ripping down Joe's fliers all around town for an entire year now. Not just from the local grocery store, but also from various locations near the high school. Last year when we posted fliers for the candlelight vigil we held they tore down every single flier along that street the high school is on (we posted more than 20 of them there up & down the street), all except for the 4 which could be seen by the security cameras at the school. We've been trying to catch them on video doing this but haven't been successful yet.

Reading the old articles from 1987 is troubling. The apathy and lack of passion in the quotes from the authorities and searchers is disturbing. As if "well we looked, we couldn't find him, he’s up there somewhere but....." And then little or no concern expressed for follow up or their next plan of action. (I don't think they had one) No further investigative reporting from media either. What a combo. The kid never had a chance. Ok, the case may have turned cold but if the efforts in the following years were anything like the ones in the early days no wonder there has been no resolution. I am glad to read that some of his old classmates and new investigators have revived interest in this case. This boy deserves to be found. If his death was an accident he deserves to be found for proper burial. If he was the victim of a crime he deserves justice. He was just a teenage boy. If they supposedly searched and searched something would have been found eventually. Ok they didn't find him....so I have not read anything regarding their theories as to what they think happened. Other than he fell in a crevice or off a cliff. What goes up must come down somewhere. A boy goes up a mountain and never comes down?? I will post my theories, questions and thoughts later. Something just isn’t right here…

Reading the old articles from 1987 is troubling. The apathy and lack of passion in the quotes from the authorities and searchers is disturbing. As if "well we looked, we couldn't find him, he’s up there somewhere but....." And then little or no concern expressed for follow up or their next plan of action. (I don't think they had one) No further investigative reporting from media either. What a combo. The kid never had a chance. Ok, the case may have turned cold but if the efforts in the following years were anything like the ones in the early days no wonder there has been no resolution. I am glad to read that some of his old classmates and new investigators have revived interest in this case. This boy deserves to be found. If his death was an accident he deserves to be found for proper burial. If he was the victim of a crime he deserves justice. He was just a teenage boy. If they supposedly searched and searched something would have been found eventually. Ok they didn't find him....so I have not read anything regarding their theories as to what they think happened. Other than he fell in a crevice or off a cliff. What goes up must come down somewhere. A boy goes up a mountain and never comes down?? I will post my theories, questions and thoughts later. Something just isn’t right here…

You're absolutely right on all accounts. That's why we're pushing to get Joe's story out there. The more people hear his story, the better chance we have of getting the right people involved so that we can finally be found and given peace! Joe was just the sweetest guy and I am so frustrated with the way his case has been handled. He was the kind of guy who looked to keep the peace, who smoothed things over, who made people feel better and always had a joke to tell. He deserves so much better than this!

You're absolutely right on all accounts. That's why we're pushing to get Joe's story out there. The more people hear his story, the better chance we have of getting the right people involved so that we can finally be found and given peace! Joe was just the sweetest guy and I am so frustrated with the way his case has been handled. He was the kind of guy who looked to keep the peace, who smoothed things over, who made people feel better and always had a joke to tell. He deserves so much better than this!

Have you proposed telling his story to Dateline or 20/20? Perhaps they can do a segment on "unsolved mysteries".

If you have a candle sitting around your house go and light it up for Joe Helt today. Today marks 25 years that he has been missing. Today his friends and family are having a candle light vigil in his hometown of Ellenville NY. I will be there in spirit and my candle will be burning.

Anyone unfamiliar with this case should take a moment to look at it. Joe Helt vanished without a trace and all investigators have to go on are the word of the three acquaintances he was with the night he disappeared. The search and media efforts were apathetic at best. There are many theories and controversies as to what happened to Joe Helt. There is currently a renewed interest by media due to the efforts of some of the townspeople who knew this young man. Here is a simple link to one article regarding this case. This case goes way deeper than the obvious and is equally as haunting as the Maura Murray story.

Anyone unfamiliar with this case should take a moment to look at it. Joe Helt vanished without a trace and all investigators have to go on are the word of the three acquaintances he was with the night he disappeared. The search and media efforts were apathetic at best. There are many theories and controversies as to what happened to Joe Helt. There is currently a renewed interest by media due to the efforts of some of the townspeople who knew this young man. Here is a simple link to one article regarding this case. This case goes way deeper than the obvious and is equally as haunting as the Maura Murray story.